Law Commons^™

Caseload Allocation And Special Judicial Skills: Finding The 'Right Judge', Kathy Mack, Sharyn Roach Anleu, Anne Wallace

Research outputs 2012

Australian courts, as with those in most common law systems, value judicial officers who are generalists. Appointment to a court indicates that the appointee is capable of dealing impartially with all types of cases that come before it. However, caseload allocation processes within courts also recognize and value different skills or expertise that may be applied to particular types of cases or to particular judicial tasks. Our research investigates ways magistrates courts in Australia (first instance courts of general criminal and civil jurisdiction) manage caseload allocation processes to match magistrates’ skills and abilities to specific work demands within their general …